According to a report from Leeuwarder Courant, Leeds United are interested in SC Heerenveen’s Holland U21 international Milan van Ewijk.
Leeds United are expected to add new faces to their squad before the Championship season kicks off in early August. So far, the West Yorkshire club have only brought in Chelsea’s 22-year-old defender Ethan Ampadu.
Van Ewijk has been at Heerenveen for the past two seasons after a move from ADO Den Haag. Last season, he featured 34 times in the Eredivisie, scoring six goals and registering one assist.
There has been interest from England already this summer. Leeuwarder Courant says that Coventry City have already had a bid turned down and that the Sky Blues have gone back in with another offer for the exciting right-back.
Now though, they add that Leeds United are also showing interest in the Dutch star.
Although only 22, van Ewijk has a wealth of experience in Dutch football. Since breaking through into first-team football, the youngster has 112 games of Eredivisie experience – scoring a total of eight goals and adding five assists.
A needed addition?
Leeds United have Luke Ayling as the incumbent right-back at the moment. In their previous time in the Championship, he was one of the stars in Marcelo Bielsa’s front-foot-forward brand of attacking football.
However, injuries and the pace of the Premier League somewhat found him out and he struggled at times. Still, he would be plenty good enough for the Championship.
Leeds then have Cody Drameh, who has progressed to the fringes of the senior squad at Elland Road. He had a stand-out season on loan at Luton Town, helping the Hatters achieve promotion to the Premier League.
Bringing in someone like van Ewijk would upset the apple cart somewhat. He would likely only make his first move away from Dutch football if he was given guarantees as to involvement.
On the face of it, he is an exciting player who would give Leeds United a more attacking dimension and a certain edge to their game. He has the experience that would suggest a seamless transition into English football.
However, with Ayling and Drameh at the club already, there are other areas that need seeing to more urgently.
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